Who was Valentine? This is the twisted story of the origin of this celebration

Cheap or free ideas to celebrate Valentine's Day 1:08

(CNN) --

Valentine's Day has arrived.

Did you bring enough gifts for everyone?

Love it or hate it, this holiday has come a long way.

From goatskin and fertility to 16th-century greeting cards, here's a quick tour of various theories about the origins of the date dedicated to love, love, love.

The festival of the Lupercalia

The ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia has been one of the earliest records of the term Valentine's Day.

But the holiday is not what you imagine.

In fact, it's probably darker.

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The event, which took place on February 15, began with the traditional sacrifice of an unfortunate goat and a dog.

And if that didn't make Cupid's arrows go off, a group of priests called the Luperci cut a piece of skin from the two animals, touched it to their foreheads, and then struck it against all the nearby women.

Young priests known as Lupercales during the Lupercalia festival.

The idea, it was said, is that women hoped it would help them become more fertile.

By the end of the fifth century, Pope Gelasius I had seen enough: he replaced Lupercalia with Valentine's Day.

No more sacrifice, only love.

Saints named Valentine

Many believed that two saints named Valentine were the inspiration behind the holiday.

But what if they are the same person?

A Valentine had been prosecuted by Emperor Claudius II Gothicus after he refused to worship the Roman gods.

While in prison, he signed a letter saying "from your Valentine" to a woman he supposedly cured of her blindness.

Many have said that the holiday could be inspired by your kindness and love.

Around the same time, a priest named Saint Valentine of Terni went against the emperor's orders and secretly married couples of young lovers.

Emperor Gothicus, however, believed that single men made better soldiers.

Nothing to love, less to lose.

Gothicus executed him on February 14 around AD 269.

C., says the story.

Since he died for the sin of arranging marriages, his death is remembered as a day of love.

The gift boom

One thing is for sure: Valentine's Day is a multi-billion dollar business.

By 2023, the National Retail Federation estimated that US consumers would spend nearly $26 billion on the holiday, up from $23.9 billion in 2022.

One of the earliest greeting cards to mark the day dates back to the 16th century.

It included the now iconic question: "Will you be my Valentine?"

And in 1847, Esther Howland became one of America's first Christmas card makers.

Richard Cardbury followed by creating the first box of chocolates in 1868.

Today, the holiday is celebrated all over the world with gifts including red roses, chocolates, sweets, films on this date and much more.

Valentine's Day